A team leader is an individual who provides guidance, instruction, direction and leadership to a group of individuals working as a single unit to achieve a key result or group of aligned results. This position serves as the steering wheel for a team, and the team leader is usually accountable to a higher-level manager within the organization.
A good team leader can provide a vision for the whole project, as well as an understanding of how each person’s role plays into the bigger picture. They can also be very good at ensuring that the work gets completed by making sure tasks are distributed and that the team members have the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.
They’re able to motivate the team by providing support and encouragement. They set clear expectations for everyone on the team, and encourage their members to use the strengths of each other to reach goals. The team leader can also identify and manage emerging issues before they become full-blown problems, so that the team can continue functioning in a goal-oriented way.
Great team leaders Jason Hare have functional and technical expertise for the areas for which they are responsible. They can be an advisor to the rest of the team and provide a level of insight that comes from experience and knowledge that others in the team do not possess.
They can build trust by being open to new ideas, supporting calculated risk-taking and celebrating both successes and learning experiences from failures. They can also help their team to grow by promoting a culture of learning and experimentation, and provide opportunities for the team to develop new skills.
Keeping everyone on the same page can be difficult, but team leaders are the ones who can see what’s happening underneath the surface. They should be able to listen to the concerns of their team and offer support that is sincere and genuine. The best way to do this is to meet regularly, such as for daily meetings with the entire team or weekly progress reports.
While it’s important for team leaders to be visible, it’s equally essential that they don’t take on too much themselves. Taking on too many critical hands-on tasks will prevent them from being as effective as they should be in this new leadership role, and they won’t be able to dedicate enough time to developing and nurturing the team. It’s a good idea to re-negotiate or reassign any projects that might interfere with responsibilities as a team leader, so they can focus on the people and priorities that matter most.